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I am Amberle Johnson
Godfrey, and I would like to declare my candidacy
for the position of County Commissioner of District
One (West) in Pickens County. As a matter of record,
I have spent my entire adult life working for the
betterment of our neighborhood, our schools, and our
county. Whether via recorded message from your
children’s school system or from the podium of your
Chamber of Commerce, I have had the distinct
privilege of keeping you informed about the comings
and goings of all things Pickens. It is my desire to
continue to do so as one of your County
Commissioners.
Born to Hugh and Brenda
Johnson of Hill City, my family is here, I grew up here, and I
raised three children of my own here. I’ve seen our
community move from one lane to four lane, from the
U.S. 5¢ & 10¢ Store to Walmart, and from simple
to sublime. One constant has always been the pride
shared by and among the people of Pickens County.
Whether you just arrived yesterday or you’ve always
been here just like me, the bond of this place is a
strong one and not easily broken. With that said, we
have to protect, nurture, and preserve our
surrounding community in the face of impending
growth, and while doing that, we have to make sure
to foster our most valuable resource: our children.
It is my belief that there
is a simple formula to ensure that Pickens County
continues to thrive. It has long been known that
there is a positive correlation between economic
development and education. But in most instances,
economic growth is the driver of enhanced education.
I think that we should try a new path. I think that
if we improve our existing educational quality and
expand opportunities for intellectual advancement of
our children, the economic growth that we desire
will follow. People will want to live here because
of their children, but they’ll want to stay here
because of who WE are. In order to follow this
simple recipe, we need to 1) improve our schools
here, and 2) make continuing education a reality for
our children.
I worked for the Pickens
County School System for over eight years. During my
tenure there, I have become convinced that we have
GOOD schools. I think that I know how to work with
others to make those good schools better.
As most of you know, I have
been enrolled as a student at nearby Reinhardt
University. For my boys, college was always a “have
to”. For me, raising my family had become my path
for continuing education. I never dreamed that my
first year of college would occur some thirty years
after my last year at Pickens High School. But
during my short time in the college classroom, I
have come to truly understand just how important the
opportunity for continuing education has become….and
just how expensive it is to obtain. I have come to
the realization that it is incumbent on us here in
Pickens County to make continuing education more
affordable for our rising students. In an effort to
do just that, I currently serve as the Chair of the
ADAY Pickens Committee for Reinhardt University. It
is our goal to raise scholarship funds to assist
Pickens County students to attend classes at
Reinhardt. With the gracious help of our community
members, continuing education is now closer…..and
more affordable……..than it has ever been.
As your County
Commissioner, I hope to continue working with my
fellow citizens to protect what is good about our
community, to nurture our children, and to foster
wise economic growth.
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